Too bold?

As I prepare for the big move, I have been perusing design blogs, books and magazines for ideas on decorating the new place. I found this picture, and I love the paint color for my new kitchen. Joe seems to think it's a bit bold... of course.

(Photo source: Apartment Therapy)

I have small appliances, tools, and accessories in red, butter yellow, and a very similar teal-blue. As seen in the previous post, the kitchen floor is similar to that pictured here, and I will have white cabinets. The pantry cabinets have panels that will need a new coat of paint, and I am considering painting these with a black chalkboard paint. Thoughts? Please share!

It's official

So I've put in my notice at work and am now able to officially discuss the Hagma move to Madison! We have decided that Joe will be returning to school to pursue his MBA at the University of Wisconsin. But first, we will be spending about a month in Columbus with my parents, while Joe participates in an internship with a medical device startup company. The plan is to arrive in Madison on August 15th, when we will be moving into an adorable 2 bedroom apartment. I had to give up a lot of control over where we would be living, since I was not able to join Joe in the search for our new nest. Joe did an awesome job taking detailed measurements and pictures of each place as best he could. These are the photos from which I am planning our new space:


The adorable kitchen; I love the floor and all of the bright light!


I'm really excited about this pantry space.



The living room, currently occupied by college student furniture. Ignore the mismatched furniture, and focus instead on the beautiful woodwork around the windows.




Master bedroom...



My closet (Joe has volunteered to take the one in the 2nd bedroom, which will serve as his office space.



Three-season porch, which leads out onto the deck. I am really excited to set up this outdoor space. We will have to use part of it to store athletic equipment, tools, etc., since we will no longer have a garage; but I think it will be a nice space to set up a little seating area. We will definitely want to create a dining area on the deck for summertime, as well as a little container garden for herbs, veggies, and a few flowers. Fortunately, we are on the top floor and it looks like it is pretty private (of course, Joe doesn't remember what is behind the house, but I see trees in the picture).

This is also the first apartment I've lived in that I am allowed to paint. I am getting really excited to choose paint colors and enhance this space to our tastes. What are your color suggestions?

Rest in Peace, Nana

My Nana, Dorothy Hagen, passed away yesterday after a long, faith filled life.

Nana, we will miss your unfaltering, unconditional love and your sloppy lip kisses. After 14 years, you can finally join Papa in heaven.

This is a photo of Nana's engagement ring, in it's original box, taken on our wedding day. I wore the ring on my right hand to honor Nana, who was not able to travel to our wedding.

Farmer's Market loot

Joe and I started our Saturday by heading to the Torrance farmer's market. These markets are one of my favorite things about living in California. We found lots of late spring, early summer produce.


Seen above, from left to right: four-berry lemonade, grapefruit, lemons, asparagus, cherries, white peaches, basil, parsley, preserved goat cheese, green pepper, strawberries, eggplant, tulips, and tomatoes.


This eggplant was as excited to see us as we were to see it (him?). Yes, that appendage is why we selected this particular eggplant ;)

Cherries always remind me of my Michigan roots



Tulips do, too :) I remember walking around the University of Michigan campus in early spring and noticing these brave flowers coming up. They always made me feel so optimistic that spring and summer were really arriving (even though more often than not, they would be soon covered in a few inches of late snow...)

Send 225 students to leadership & academic programs in the summer

I received an email from a friend of mine (Al) who is teaching at North Lawndale College Prep in Chicago. They are campaigning for a Pepsi Refresh Project grant to send their students to leadership and academic programs in the summer. I've been so impressed with the way Al talks about her students, who generally come from under-served neighborhoods and who have to overcome economic and social disadvantages in order to succeed academically. Al describes the students as motivated, responsible, and respectful. Click here to vote for this cause!

Tonight's dinner: Sauteed Panko Crusted Turkey Cutlets

I'm in the process of whipping up a new recipe, Sauteed Panko-crusted turkey cutlets. I saw a chef using Panko, a type of Japanese breadcrumb, on the food network over the weekend, and they looked like they added a nice crunchy texture to chicken or turkey. I picked up some turkey cutlets on my way home from work, and ran across the Panko, so I decided to give it a try. While Joe and I have our staple weekday dinners, we enjoy trying new things. He's usually a pretty good sport about my ideas and experiments. I think that's a result of our many years of being together and many years of pushing him to try new foods. I'm proud of him from branching out from the meat and potatoes he grew up on!

The recipe we're trying tonight was found at: http://www.thecitycook.com/cooking/recipes/data/000034

Fairly easy, delicious weeknight meal!

Blending technology with domesticism...

This is my first foray into blogging, and I am excited to share the day to day activities of married life. I know, I know, sounds fascinating. Well, our first year was full of adventures in settling into married life here in Southern California. Now that we are pretty settled, I'd like to be able to share our day to day life and stay connected with those friends and family members far away!

My plan for the blog, at the moment, is to record and share my attempts at all things domestic - learning to cook and preparing/settling into our little apartment.

For now, Joe is in Las Vegas with a bunch of Bros from college and I am home, watching
excessive amounts of HGTV, baking bread, and reading a couple of home decor books I picked up ( Domino - The Book of Decorating, and 1001 Ideas for Color and Paint). And, even though it's Sunday, probably enjoying a glass of Cupcake Chardonay.